Andros

Andros, also known as the Jewel of the World, is a massive sprawling capital city in the Vostarian Empire. The city is the hub of trading from the mineral-rich lands to the north, the merchant kingdoms of Mestor and Calim to the west, the kingdoms of Fel-Istral to the east, and the sea kingdoms and traders to the west and south. It's authority extends between thirty to forty miles from its walls. The surrounding region has a population density of over 200 people per square mile.

Geography
Andros is built on the site of the ancient elven settlement of Shaelinishar, which gave way to a farming community of humans refugees that fled from the north. This was settlement was soon named Andros after the Imperator's son that he lost during the escape of the north.

Government
Andros is ruled by the Imperator, a ruling monarch that oversees everything in the Empire. The Imperator has a governing council of advisors, each specialized in a specific task so they may do their appointed jobs well. Each oversees their domain, such as trade, military, populace, etc, and are given a substantial compensation for their work. This office however is not for the faint of heart however. After their term comes to an end, so does their life as they are ritually executed. The Imperator has ordered this as such due to his paranoia of officials knowing too much of how the Empire is run.

Law & Order
The Legions are the local police force and in addition to capturing criminals, its legionaries settle petty disputes, give directions, summon medical and priestly aid, generally performing duties that promote the idea that Andros is a city open to all who knew how to behave themselves.

Androsian justice is dispatched by the Magistrates, who direct the common courts of the city. These Black Robes, as they are often called, are empowered to pass sentences. They are always accompanied by six members of the legion. Any individuals found guilty could appeal to the Magistratum, ruled over by the masked Judges of Andros, where serious cases are usually heard. Individuals bringing frivolous cases to the Magistratum usually face stiffer fines than if they'd accepted a Magistrate's ruling.

Crime
The last official thieves' guild in Andros was destroyed in 1054 AS, and while there are many claimants to that position and title over the years since, there are no groups of sufficient power to challenge the law. Since the Judges are secret, criminals do not know if trusted partners are truly on their side or not.

This is not to say that there were no thieves or crime in the streets of Andros. Rather, crime here is random and dispersed, with no one leader or organization to command it. One attempt was made by a crime lord named Beshama, a beholder with a well developed secret network in his service. This network was destroyed and Beshama defeated through the actions of bold adventuring companies at the command of Legate Krome. Whether a new crime lord would come to the fore remains to be seen.

Trade
As of around 1256 AS, stone is imported from the Bladed Mountains via "  " for use in construction, having been magically transported. This is an expensive process.

Presently, during the late autumn time, wagons and carts overcrowd the markets as foreign vendors attempt to sell as much as possible before returning home for the winter. This was a practice ignored by the Guard, the Watch, and the guilds.

The city is also the largest port of Korinth. Although welcoming to most races, Andros' laws require that all ships be inspected on the ocean several miles from the city and then make their final approach. Transgressors are punished with harsh fines and imprisonment. This rule prevents some types of ships from ever reaching Andros, but was enforced to avoid terrorism plots due to the Kestrals. Departing vessels were subject to the same rules.

Docking at Andros' port incurred a fee of 1 cp per 10 ft of keel length per week. Sages and traders from Andros were eager to listen to stories from far off lands and traded on all the products the city had to offer.

Defenses
Andros maintains two separate armed forces, the Legions and the Royal Guard. The legion served as Andros' soldiery and its members staffed garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and serves as bodyguards and gate guards. The Royal Guard are protectors of the Imperial Palace.

Andros has strong walls on its landward sides and is protected in part by Carved Cliffs on the seaward side. The cliffs are studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units on flights of griffons. Aside from this, Andros also benefits from a large native population of the adventuring classes (including powerful mages, priests, and warriors) who are more than willing to deal with any and all miscreants who threatens their home city, and did so in the past. This often proved the city's most potent defense.

The city also had the eight giant Sentinels of Andros. Seven of these statues could be animated by the Arch Magus of Andros to defend the city, one is too damaged to be activated. These statues are extremely destructive, and only used to fend off armies or win otherwise impossible battles.

History
Andros was used as a trading site for trade activities between northern kingdoms and eastern merchants from 442 AS onward. By 445 AS, permanent farms had sprung up in the area. The name "Andros" (not as a city, but as a town) was used by the first Imperator as a fondness to his lost son. The city was truly established by 605 AS, the year that they acquired mercenaries to push back the barbarian forces ransacking their nation. The mercenaries found a liking to the warm hospitable lands, and settled here soon after.

The city grew spectacularly, such that by 896 AS both the City of the Dead and the guilds had been developed. The guild masters seized control soon afterwards, ushering in a period of unrest and bitter conflict known as the Guildwars. The Guildwars ended only when the two surviving guild masters brought in their own period of misrule. It was only in 1273 DR that the modern system of government was instituted due to the Imperator and legions being unable to fully lay down the law anymore. This was the year that the Magistratum were established and the secret Judges of Andros were firmly set in stone. Since that time, the city continued to grow and prosper.

Humankind and other races came from all over the Realms to earn hard coin in the city. Over the years, these successful merchants set up guilds and themselves became nobility, supporting the secretive Judges of Andros who policed the city fairly, yet with a light hand, by means of the superb Legions and over 20 black-robed magistrates. As a result, Andros was a place tolerant of different races, religions, and lifestyles. This in turn encouraged commerce and Andros grew into a huge, eclectic city.

This tolerance of races did not sway them from their enslavement of non-humans. Despite the demands of several nations, they continue to enslave those that break the law and use them as their workforce.

Guilds
It was said that the Judges run Andros but did not truly run it. This is quite true, in that there are a number of other factions who made up Andros. The most noticeable are the guilds—powerful merchant and craft organizations that controll much of the life-blood of the city. Once, the guilds ruled the city, and it almost destroyed itself in a series of internal commercial wars. No one wants to see those days return.

Nobility
A second important Androsian faction are the local nobility. It consists of 76 families of varying degrees of power, most of whom could trace their lines to before the founding of Andros itself. Many powerful names come out of Andros, including the Meridius (whose scion became first Legate); the Kassentors, wealthy moneylenders; as well as the Orelians, a family of powerful and noble wizards.

Merchants
Third, a rising merchant class exists outside the standard guilds. These are caravan and coaster operators, and they used Andros as a destination for their caravan goods. More shops offer a variety of different goods because of this growing group. The most notable of these new merchants was the retired wizardess Auroria, who established a magical retail organization to supply a wide number of patrons across Korinth with specialized items.

Adventurers
A large host of adventurers flood the city at any given time. Some established themselves as citizens of good standing and remained permanently, while others drift off for other climates or meet their ends in back-alley brawls. With the exception of the Fire Brands, secret societies such as the Fallen Few and the Red Sashes makes up the closest thing to organizations drawn from this group.

Culture
Given its size and influence, Andros is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population of citizens. While humans comprised the majority of its populace, it is home to large number of elves, predominantly high elves, dwarves, lightfoot halflings, half-elves and gnomes. Androsians tend to be social, stalwart and outspoken people who maintain a worldly perspective of the cultures throughout Aurum. While they are proud of their Empire's history, they typically keep from dismissing cultures from foreign lands. While they often seek the improvement of their lives through the accumulation of wealth and self-importance, as a people, they also stand for military conquest or the thought of imperialization.

Fashion
Androsian culture is called for a sort of lively display of status when it came to the clothes one would wear. While all manner of dress could be seen on the city streets, guild members will don their livery when conducting official business or meetings, during important holidays or while on ventures outside Andros proper. Nobles will display their crests or coat-of-arms in subtle affectations, such as a signet ring or other understated jewelry, while their servants wear clothes that are fully emblazoned with their house heraldry.

In contrast, women are known to maintain a high sense of fashion, often wearing elegant silk gowns, furs and sparkling jewelry, as the season dictated.

Religion
Andros has a huge variety of faiths, and the odds are that if a deity was worshiped somewhere in Korinth, it had at least a follower (or likely a wandering priest or two, and maybe a shrine) in the city. The largest temples in the city are dedicated to Hyrax, Strum, Oreskos, Alephenel, Falitoli, Ioa, Hastia, Sorel, Iora, Shimardis, and Lhasa. There is also a large temple known as the Plinth, which was open to all faiths.

In addition to the temples, shrines to Keranos, Xenagos, Lucian, and Corvir (the last two were local divinities) can be found here. Additionally, there are secret temples and hidden shrines to most of the dark gods, often hidden away beneath the streets of the city. These include churches of Anax, Korinna, Akros, Urios, Meletis, and a wide variety of the Animist Cult.

Although the faith of Pharika is considered misguided or bad, it does not mean small groups of lay followers cannot practice their personal faith. However, the building of a public house of worship to her is forbidden in Andros. It is also illegal to form a public priesthood dedicated to her..

Festivals and Holidays
In addition to the standard festivals, there are several festivals and holy days held in Andros:


 * Lucian's Day: A holiday celebrated on the first day of Spring, commemorating Lucian's birthday. It consists of small details, like toasting for the Imperator; leaving violets at the base of Lucian's Tower, the Plinth, or atop the altars of the Imperator's Rest; and bards performing songs in honor of the first Imperator. The Judges visit taverns and inns across the city, to wish the people well.
 * Cymede's Blesstide: Held on the day of winter's first frost, this day sees everyone in the city wearing white clothes, not serving or eating hot meals, and a parade of naked men and women wearing only white cloaks going from Cliffwatch in the North Ward, across the city and to the beaches. There, participants dived into the icy waters, sacrificing their warmth to the Frostmaiden.
 * Fleetswake: A festival celebrating the sea, the sea trade and the god of the sea. It spanned the last tenday of Summer, and included boat races, the Shipwright's Ball at the Shipwright's House, and guild-sponsored galas at the Copper Cup festhall. The festival was concentrated in Dock Ward and the Fiery Flagon in Sea Ward.
 * Alamon's Night: A celebration honoring the Lord of Joy with dances and balls, held the Night of Joy. Although the celebration is shared all over the city in many festhalls, the highlight of the night was the Cynosure Ball, which was sponsored by the Judges, the local clergy of Alamon, and several noble families.
 * Trolltide: This lesser holiday celebrated the end of the Second Trollwar at the start of Fall. On this day, Androsian children would run about the city, dressed as trolls demanding treats from citizens and shop owners lest the children pull pranks on them at sundown.

Transportation
Andros is characterized by its broad and busy streets and boulevards. Its heavy traffic, a constant during all day and most of the night, is monitored by the traffic wardens of the Legion. The streets were kept well maintained and signaled by the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild, who manufactured and installed labels and signs in all intersections.

Public transportation is available in Andros through several options:


 * Drays are large, two-floored collective carriages that held a large number of seats and travelers through preset trajectories along the main boulevards. Fares varied between 2 and 4 coppers.
 * Hire-coaches are two-wheeled, two-seat carriages that could be called and dispatched to specific locations. Hire-coach drivers roamed the city streets in search for passengers, who could call a free coach with a shout. Fares, agreed upon in advance, rarely exceeded 6 silvers.
 * Carriages are luxury vehicles that could accommodate up to 8 passengers comfortably. Prices varied, but usually carriages and their respective drivers and servants were hired for an entire day.